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Richard Prince, I Changed My Name, 1988 © Richard Prince Acrylic and screen print on canvas, 142.5 cm x 198.7 cm
Credit: Calvin Klein/Rubell Family Collection, Miami

Days after unveiling a new logo produced in collaboration with noted graphic designer Peter Saville and on the eve of his runway debut at the label, chief creative officer Raf Simons marches forward unabated in his holistic overhaul of the Calvin Klein brand with a new campaign that juxtaposes archival designs with works of art by 20th century American artists.

‘American Classics’, as the campaign has so aptly been dubbed, is the product of a collaboration between Simons and his mainstay creative team of photographer Willy Vanderperre and stylist Olivier Rizzo with The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and the Rubell Family Collection in Miami. In a statement released by the brand, Creative Director and Simons’ right hand man Pieter Mulier said that each look was “specifically chosen from the Calvin Klein archive for the campaign; it’s both a recognition of design firsts and the photographic history of the brand that made these garments famous.”

In Vanderperre’s typically clean cut images, a largely unknown cast appear alongside iconic works of art by Andy Warhol, Dan Flavin, Richard Prince and Simons’ friend and frequent collaborator Sterling Ruby. In doing so, Simons explains that it was his intention to create a conversation between each respective ‘American classic’ regardless of their type, in much the same way that artists and designers commingled at the height of the Pop Art era. 

As is to be expected, it’s a significant departure from the brand’s previous denim and singular underwear campaigns (think everyone from Mark Wahlberg and Kate Moss to Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner) albeit one that retains the quintessential air of pride and patriotism on which the label hinges.

Last week, Simons presented a collection at New York Men’s Fashion Week for his eponymous label that was essentially a love letter to his newly-adopted city of New York. In the weeks prior, the designer also unveiled his first made-to-measure offering for the house in a ‘By Appointment’ collection of 14 couture-worthy looks that celebrate the diverse history of American fashion.

Simons will unveil his debut ready-to-wear collection for the house at New York Fashion Week on February 10. 

You can view the full ‘American Classics’ campaign below.

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Andy Warhol, Ambulance Disaster, 1963-64 © The Andy Warhol Foundation
Credit: Calvin Klein/The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh
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Andy Warhol, Skull, 1976 © The Andy Warhol Foundation
Credit: Calvin Klein/The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh
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Dan Flavin, Untitled (Monument for V. Tatlin), 1964 © Stephen Flavin
Credit: Calvin Klein/Rubell Family Collection, Miami
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Sterling Ruby, FLAG (4791), 2014 © Sterling Ruby, bleached and dyed canvas and elastic, 443.23 cm x 871.22 cm
Credit: Calvin Klein/Rubell Family Collection, Miami
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Richard Prince, Nuts, 2000 © Richard Prince, acrylic on canvas, 284.5 cm x 517 cm
Credit: Calvin Klein/Rubell Family Collection, Miami
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Andy Warhol, Statue of Liberty, 1962 © The Andy Warhol Foundation
Credit: Calvin Klein/The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh

Tile image: Calvin Klein/Rubell Family Collection, Miami
Cover image: Andy Warhol, Elvis 11 Times (Studio Type), 1963 © The Andy Warhol Foundation